Noah was Just a Man

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In Genesis 6, we come to the life of Noah. As the earth’s population had grown immensely in number, it had also sadly multiplied in the practice of evil. Genesis 6:5 wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. Mankind’s depraved moral condition is amplified in Genesis 6:11-12. “the earth also was corrupt before God and . . . was filled with violence.” God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” But amazingly in the midst of such a sad account of the entirety of fallen mankind, we find these hopeful words: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8).

Noah had not given over to this worldwide depravity and fallenness, for He walked with God as a rightdescribed the events that will surround His second coming, days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus emphasized the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, and thereby not the least bit concerned about their moral state before God. They were carrying on the events of their lives without any thought of the judgment of God. But in stark contrast, Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5); meaning he spent his years seeking not only to rightly follow God, but also proclaiming God’s Holiness while warning his friends and neighbors what God was about to do. But, no one listened! The depravity and ungodliness of the entire world at that time was enough to cause the LORD to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6).

It is noteworthy, that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited and Noah diligently preached; “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) Scripture declares that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming, but they did not believe him and were content to live out their days in wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull. No one repented, and no one cared to seek God.

But Noah, who faithfully carried out his Divine Commission, was called “a just man, perfect in his generations” for he “walked with God.” Genesis 6:9b. This “Obviously, I’m (Paul) not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal,

“Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9b

By Pastor John Stewart

recounts this grievous reality, “the Lord saw that the

eous man. When Jesus later

He said, “ And as it was in the

I would not be Christ’s servant.” ~ Galations 1:10 NLT description of Noah, unique to him in his time, not only refers to the righteous life he lived, but also bears witness of the unique Godly purpose for which he lived. It is essential to recognize that as stated in Genesis 6:8, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Note well that God’s grace precedes and explains how Noah became and lived a Godly man. Noah’s righteousness was the product of God’s favor and is therefore the proof of God’s favor, but not the cause of God’s favor. God’s grace always precedes any human goodness!

Noah was a “just man.” He was not a sinless man, but was a man of exceptional godly character and conduct: reverent, upright, honest, virtuous and trustworthy! Faithful to God and to His Word and a man who represented God faithfully in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation: “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7. Noah was also declared a man, “perfect in his generations”. Perfect, in this case is not a sinless perfection, but addresses the idea of living uprightly as a result of a saving faith in God. This describes the general character of Noah's life as a redeemed man, denoting the complete transformation of having been a sinful man under the law of God, to being declared a righteous man by God’s grace thru Jesus Christ. (Genesis 6:8) Christ’s victorious triumph over sin and death in His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb, is for man and in man is the whole basis of our new life and hope in salvation. Jesus Christ’s triumph over sin forms "the establishment of complete, unclouded, and enduring communion with God, and the full realization of a state of peace with God, founded on a true and ever valid remission of sins.”

Noah did not find favor in the eyes of men; they hated and persecuted him, because both by his life and preaching they were strongly convicted! Nonetheless, as Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord”, God made him more truly honorable than the world’s men of highest renown, because the evident fruit of his faith was that he “walked with God.” Noah is the first man the Bible calls a “just” (or righteous) man. Let this be our own desire, let us wholeheartedly and closely follow the Lord, that we may walk in His ways for His Glory. When the rest of the world was wicked, Noah uniquely lived with integrity and God's good-will towards others. He was a just man, that is, justified before God, by faith in the promises of his God. As such he was declared holy; he lived by right principles; and was righteous in his own words and deeds. He was not only honest, but devout, as it was his constant desire to do the will of God.

Pastor John Stewart is the Executive Pastor at Revival Christian Fellowship on Scott Road in Menifee.